After Arce
by BethGisborne
Summary: What REALLY should have happened after arce. Will Guy and Marian be able to live with their decisions? Will it bring them closer? Will the sheriff destroy them? Rating to be safe.


**OK word of warning Season 3 never happens (sort of certain parts you'll see). The ending of Season 2 happens differently. Thank heavens. I don't own them sorry. This came about going through some prompts on a few livejournals and things and it got me to thinking. What would have happened if Guy had not really killed Marian. What if he had "Done it" to set her free of the sheriff and give her to Hood like she had always begged? Would it really be what she wanted? Better Yet did she survive if so will they? Have fun!**

Guy strode down the halls of the Castle. He knew he should be upset he had after all killed Marian in Acre. However he was not upset like he should have been, perhaps it had to do with his recent visit to the market and the fact that he bumped into Djaq that had eased that knot in his stomach. Marian was alive and well in the outlaw camps, granted she had kept putting Robin's pleas to get married before a priest off, to make the words spoken hastily in the desert official in the eyes of the church and God. Something that had given Guy a little hope, but the bellowing of the Sheriff squashed that hope as he knew Marian could not return, so glaring at a smirking Allen he took a deep breath and shoved the great hall doors open, wondering why he had agreed to work with Hood after all.

Marian sat idle by the fire tapping the poker against a log staring into the fire. Djaq had said she'd met with Guy like agreed and delivered the message she'd returned safe, the slight cut had long healed and Guy had not known about the accident. But the look on his face acting or not, Marian realized he knew at that moment pretending to kill her, he was indeed killing a part of himself, and killing any hope of them marrying. The agony he must have felt, the surprise agony she felt when proclaiming her love for Robin and her hatred for him. She had wanted to deny it as soon as she said it for it left a nasty taste in her mouth, but she couldn't to much had gone into planning, to much counted on her to destroy Vasey and protect Robin's king. In disgust she tossed the poker away and hugged her knees to her chest.

She'd been back in England for over six months and only once in that time had Robin begged to get married, though he claimed it was more and everyone disagreed. She'd put him off, she was still not well and everyone knew that. But once back the Robin they'd all come to know had taken over again, and she was an afterthought a doll on a shelf.

"Marian?" Djaq looked up from her spot in the camp. Marian didn't reply. "Marian." She looked up. "Is something wrong?"

Marian looked back at the fire not sure how to put what she was feeling into words. Djaq came and sat down beside her. "You're having second thoughts." It was a statement not a question. "I saw it on your face when we carried you away. The whole way back to England you only talked about him."

"It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"I can never return. He thinks I'm married to Robin and Robin's pride won't let me do anything but sit here and die of boredom."

"Perhaps we can find a way before Guy returns to Locksley next week." Marian looked up at the Saracen woman and waited. "Our people are known to have great healing powers."

Guy sat in his chambers staring at the dying embers. "You know Djaq said you're mood matches Marians." Allen said sitting a tray of cold food beside Guy.

"I thought she married Scarlet."

"She did but we're still friends." Allen sat down. "She said someone may be paying a visit tonight."

"Who?" Guy grumbled.

"You regret your decision don't you?"

"Every decision with her I do. Sometimes I think I didn't show her I loved her enough."

"Doing what you did, showed her."

Guy shook his head. "It wasn't enough."

"I think she just needed to be shown with more than trinkets and gifts."

Guy blew out a breath. "I won't ever be good enough for her Allen. So leave it."

"Perhaps it wasn't that you weren't good enough she just wasn't. Or she just wasn't ready." A voice said from behind Guy.

Guy spun around, in the window stood the Nightwatchman. Taking a step from the shadows Marian removed the mask. "Allen." She looked pointedly at the man.

"I guess that means I should leave."

"A clue yes." Guy said trying to ease the sudden tension in the room. Neither noticed Allen had left until they heard the door click shut and neither moved. "Marian." His voice was laced with pain at seeing her and knowing she could never be his.

"It was always good enough Guy. You were always good enough."

"Then why? Why the lies? Why this?" He waved at her costume meaning more than just the Nightwatchman but the Whole Acre.

"Because I didn't want to believe any different. I didn't want to believe that I was constantly putting you into situations that forced you to do things." She swallowed hard. "I needed someone to hate because I thought I couldn't hate Robin. I wanted to forget the hurt he had caused me. I didn't want to think I could actually love someone else."

"Why do our conversations always have to involve Hood?" Guy groaned falling onto his bed hiding his head in his hands. "You've never loved me Marian." He said looking back up at her. "You've never tried to see me beyond what you wanted. I was easy to hate because."

"Because I was scared." She interrupted realizing he hadn't really heard what she'd just said. "To have someone love me like that scared me. For me to return those feelings was even scarier." She sat beside him. "I'm trying to find a way out of this Guy. So I can return to you here. So I can do what I should have over a year ago and that was to marry you."

Guy looked up at her trying to hide his hope. "You're sure Marian?"

She nodded. "When I said those things in Acre I wanted to get sick. It was then I realized it was all lies. That I wanted to be with you not him."

"But we'd gone to far."

She nodded. "There was no way to get out of it without getting you killed."

"So you sacrificed yourself."

"Just like you were sacrificing yourself for me again. I won't let that happen to the best of my ability from this day forward. Djaq and I are working on a story to tell and a way to get me back in. Will is already spreading a rumor that I had survived your attack that it had actually been an accident on your part. The desert heat or that the sheriff had drugged you. I think it is the latter as it would make more sense. Guy can you ever forgive me?' Fear crept into her chest as she waited.

"I could never hate you Marian you know that. No matter what I would only ever love you."


End file.
